Justice League ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE - RATE & REVIEW THREAD (SPOILERS!!!)

[The Infernal]

I thought it was pretty good. Hands down it blows Joss Whedon's version out of the water and silences those who said there'd be no difference or worse. I don't believe this would have bombed like the theatrical cut.

It's not perfect, but I didn't have quite the qualms I did with Batman vs Superman.

 

[GGodfreyPrime]

Ufff. This movie should really be viewed when one is rested and there is no baby waking up every 2 hours, making it a 6 hour experience. I will have to watch it again under different circumstances but for now it's a solid 8.5 for me, rounded down to 8. Best of the DCEU and Zack Snyder's best movie as well.

If the whole BvS fiasco made me exile myself from SHH (Kindly asked C. Lee to perma ban me because I just couldn't stay away from all the drama lol) and the absolutely horrific abomination of JL the TC made me walk away from CBM's (still watched from time to time but didn't follow the news, engage in discussions) the hype around ZSJL in the last few months - and the fact I really like Zack as an individual and respect him as a filmmaker - brought me back to ''hype'' (and SHH).

To be clear, I found MOS a big personal disappointment upon release, a lot of it having to do with following that movie daily since it's announcement to its release, seeing every set photo, every bit of footage, etc., and making my own story on how it will play out. Spoiler alert: It didn't play out like I hoped it would. 8 years later I have more appreciation for it. BvS TC also disappointed me. The UE improved many issues, however the overall tone of the movie, miscasting of Luthor and some of the utter nonsense of it all are still issues for me.

Anyway, my two cents:

Disliked:

- Epilogue. Felt very disjointed and took me and the wife (who isn't a superhero/cbm fan but still a fan of cinema and not anti such movies) out of the movie a bit. I'm talking about the boat scene specifically, I feel it added absolutely nothing to the story that just unfolded or any of the characters. It deserves to be a post credit scene in theatrical release only, imo. And the final scene. Ben looks totally off, both in performance and visually. MM ... very mixed feelings. It's great fan service but in the context of the overall story and the film, didn't work so well for me.

Wasn't so keen on:

- History lesson. Maybe because I expected too much of it but what I disliked specifically was how easily Darkseid was defeated. It really lessened the impact of his threat level and just doesn't make sense why he'd be the most feared individual in all the multiverse. If it was meant to be Uxas before he became Darkseid, well, the movie doesn't say it. Diana says Darkseid several times. Also, his CGI was really lacking in this scene for me, specifically when he gets defeated and carried on the ship.

- Barry being ''weird'', ''funny'', ''awkward'' in almost every scene he is in. A bit too much.

- Over indulgence in slow-mo. I like slow-mo when done in taste and small spades. Zack overdid it here imo.

- Arthur comes across as a knucklehead for me. A lovable knucklehead at times though.

- Not enough Superman. Black suit shirt rip makes no sense. Black suit not explained.

- This could have been 3h and still be great. While overall pacing is pretty good and most scenes are solid, several could easily be cut and quite a few shortened.

- Some jokes worked, some fell flat. Nothing terrible though, thankfully.

- Found Alfred annoying for the most part in this one. Like an annoyed, scared old man. Nagging granny?

- Wonky CGI, but I understand the circumstances.

- TV spot totally spoiling the Darkseid scenes for me haha. I tried to avoid spoilers but two thumbnails showed me what I would have liked to have seen in the movie for the first time, not on Twitter. (This has nothing to do with the actual movie though )

- Darkseid could have been better utilised.

- So could have Batman. Found him quite overwhelming and his slow, clunky movements looked off compared to BvS. Maybe it was intentional but he seemed a bit ... lost among the ''Gods''.

Liked:

- First chapter was amazing. The build up to Steppenwolf arriving, WW bank scene (wife and I both said ''this was better than the whole of WW84''), everything about Amazons, Bruce finding Arthur, Steppenwolf vs. Amazons... perfection.

- Cyborg's arc really was great.

- Barry's was pretty good too.

- Bruce the ''cheerleader'' and optimist.

- Most action stuff was great.

- Soundtrack and music selection.

- Cinematography.

- 4:3. Yes.

- Anytime Superman was on screen, he was amazing.

- Very strong villain side of things overall, the lore, Steppenwolf, Darkseid, etc., all combined.

- Slower pacing and overall editing - a bit of a minus too but one of my main complaints about MOS to this day is, that it is way too quickly paced, rushing from scene to scene, not letting them breathe, not letting us bask in the glow of some great set pieces and intimate moments, etc. ZSJL is the opposite.

- Well developed, understood plot with good character arcs.

- The overall tone of the movie.

- Batman/Joker exchange.

- Every JL member was useful and integral to the plot, every hero treated with respect, the threat felt real.

Probably more I could say and elaborate but there will be time for that latter.

My current DCEU ranking stands as:

1. ZSJL - 8.5
2. WW - 8.0
3. MOS - 7.5
4. BvS: UE - 7.0
5. Shazam - 7.0
6. Aquaman - 6.5
7. Birds of Prey - 6.0
8. Suicide Squad - 5.0
9. WW84 - 3.5
10. JL: TC - 1.0

 

[spideyfan77]

Current ranking of DCEU films after one watch of JL:

1. BvS
2. MoS
3. ZSJL
4. Aquaman
5. WW

Everything else is garbage or I just dont care about it

 

[roach]

I enjoyed it.

 

[SupermanFan]

My updated DCEU rankings although I will acknowledge I am in the bubble with ZSJL right now. So this how I feel currently:

 

[dhandler01]

I enjoyed it.

I was literally gonna say "I wish roach was here to tell us what he thought!"

I havent seen you around here in a while buddy!

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Just finished watching and it is above & beyond better than what Whedon delivered. WB must feel like total idiots for what they put out originally and definitely deserve all the criticisms coming their way

The story was much better and characters were much more fleshed out. Barry, who was a total goof and at time cringe inducing in Whedon’s version, was actually great in this. Had his funny moments but wasn’t total overkill. Cyborg was totally screwed over in the theatrical cut. As Snyder had stated, Victor/Cyborg is the heart of this movie. There were many emotional moments throughout the film that I enjoyed: Barry and his father, Victor and his family, and obviously Superman’s return with the voiceover from Joe-El & Jonathan. That scene sent chills.

My main gripe with the movie is lack of Superman though. Wish he appeared sooner and had more time to connect with the other JL members.

This movie left me wanting more, especially with the Knightmare and Martian Manhunter scenes. Really loved the interaction between BatFleck & Leto’s Joker. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of them.

 

[roach]

I’m always around.

I was literally gonna say "I wish roach was here to tell us what he thought!"

I havent seen you around here in a while buddy!

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

10/10. This checked off all my boxes. I would’ve struggled to sit through this in a theater due to the runtime. But at home I didn’t want it to end. Some of the immediate films that sprung to mind while watching were Lord of the Rings, 300, Watchmen, Saving Private Ryan. The fight choreography was insane and power sets brilliantly utilized; it reminded me of Super Smash Bros. and Dragon Ball Z.

Lord of the Rings strikes the exact tone I’ve always longed for in a JL film, and this gave me exactly that. The stakes and violence are palpable. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to place this alongside other game changers such as The Dark Knight, Black Panther, Endgame, Avengers, or Spider-Man 2. In terms of my personal definition of ‘epic’, this is the most epic superhero film I’ve ever seen. The climactic battle with Steppenwolf within the dome reminded me of some of the combat scenes in Saving Private Ryan. It’s difficult not to compare this to Endgame, but there isn’t a thing I would change about either film. The MCU has a formula that is rarely deviated from drastically. It works extremely well for those characters. I personally prefer Justice League to any of the Avengers films. In my opinion, this movie at times had much more of a personal auteur-feel,it makes the movie feel like one artist’s singular vision. I loved all of it. The Joker scene gave me chills.

- The fight scene on Themyscira was some of the best action I’ve ever seen in a superhero film. I hate to say it, but Snyder’s depiction of Diana, the Amazon’s and Themyscira is way better than what we saw in Patty’s films. I was reminded a lot of 300 in these scenes, and it really worked. The new take on Wonder Woman’s theme is INSANE.
- I fell in love with Ezra’s Barry Allen. I couldn’t stand him in the TC but he was charming here. I adored the scene with Iris; so much chemistry in so little screen time!
- The fleshed out sequences add so much depth to Aquaman. The gospel song the women sang as Aquaman left the village helped enforce the mythological allegory with our Poseidon equivalent.
- Superman had such limited screen time but his presence was felt throughout. I’d have liked to see more, but I loved everything I did see. His cry being the bell that awakens the Mother Boxes was brilliant. That quick scene of him in the black suit with Darkseid, holy ****!
- The scene with Joker was a massive standout. I have done a 180 on Jared Leto’s Joker. Give us that Joker/Batman/Robin story! That scene comfortably ranks alongside any of the best Joker scenes in history.

This is modern mythology at its finest. I encourage DC to keep pursuing individual artistic visions, instead of imposing studio mandates and pressure from the competition. First Joker and now this. DC and Marvel are so different, and benefit from different tones. Justice League finally nails that tone that I have always wanted to see for DC. They figured it out. Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice were the stepping stones that allowed Snyder to finally crack the perfect tone for DC properties. WB really ****ed us by not allowing him to follow his instinct.This is Zack’s best film, and easily the best DCEU film. So many insanely inspired ideas. The man is a polarizing mad genius, but I think it’s time we can all get on board. This is a movie that proves again you don’t need to ape Marvel’s formula to succeed. And the payoff in this movie makes Snyder’s other DCEU efforts so much richer.

I only just saw the film, but right now, the only competition this movie has is The Dark Knight. Zack Snyder’s Justice League lives up to the hype and transcends the superhero genre. It’s going to be hard to drown out the inevitable demands for a conclusion, I look forward to seeing Warner’s next move. Fingers crossed for an Ayer cut announcement and a proper live action conclusion for the JL trilogy.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

Coming from someone who doesn't love either MOS or BvS I can definitely say that this is my favorite Snyder DCEU film by far. This thing just felt so much more coherant and consistant than what we got before and I really loved the character development/buidling that took up a good majority of the running time for the first half.

Cyborg and Steppenwolf really got their shine in in this, especially Cyborg who I remember not caring for at all that much in the 2017 version, but now I see why Ray Fisher was so vocal about his scenes getting cut out because damn were those scenes great between him and Joe Morton.

I also loved the more pathetic/sympathetic potrayl of Steppenwolf in this who I honestly felt kind of bad for in his scenes with either Darkseid or Desaad despite the fact that he was a pure savage and a threat that deserved to be taken seriously, especially after that EPIC sequence with him wrecking the Amazons on Themyscira.

I was even suprised by how much I loved the father/son dynamic scenes with Ezra Miller and Billy Cudrup and honestly those were the best scenes with Eza Miller's Flash IMO from a performance standpoint, because while I did enjoy the sequence where he saves Iris and his scene at the end with him going back in time I'm just still not a big fan of his potrayl overall with all the try hard quips and attempts at humor which always felt forced to me even in the 2017 version and sadly that didn't change much here either.

Wonder Woman and Aquaman had there moments which I was fine with aswell as Batfleck, but I still can't say I was satisfied with how Superman was utlized in this. Granted, as much as I did like his scenes in Whedon's version this version of Supes felt alot more natural in his progression from BvS and MOS which made me buy into it more honestly. Cavill deserved so much better though and its never going to sit right with me that we got two versions of JL where Superman wasn't used much at all.

That climax was awesome though with everybody pretty much getting their hits in on Steppenwolf with a decaptation from Wonder Woman to finish things off which felt even more satisfying, especially with Darkseid just standing there soaking it all in the whole time. I really do wish Darkseid had more to do in this, but Ray Porter's voice and presence was completely on point.

Lastly, I was honestly kind of disappointed with the Knightmare sequence which to me just felt like a tacked on bonus scene. I guess my expectations were too high, but man outside of the Batfleck/Leto Joker scene which was pretty great that whole sequence did not live up to the hype IMO and I'm still satly that Joe Manganiello got nothing to do in this universe as Deathstroke except stand around and look cool.

I still want that HBO Max Deathstroke tv show/movie so the man can finally get done some justice and while most people probably won't like it I enjoyed the brief scenes we got with Henry Lennix as MM.

8/10

 

[matt47]

So on binge the movie ends 3 44 mins in my 4 hours. I thought Snyder said it was 4 plus credits?

 

[cabel]

About 4 hours 2 minutes including credits

 

[Steyin]

A better film, but pointless. Better character development for everyone but Batman and Superman, and a much more enjoyable and neat plotline. The whole nightmare future should have just been dropped from both versions. A trimmed down version of this mixed with some of the humor/lightheartedness of the Whedon version would have been a superior theatrical release.

In the end though it doesn't change the way I feel about the DCU or it's future, which is, couldn't care less. I've only seen BoP and WW84 after JL, both of which were giant mehs , and I don't really care to see any future DCU films which is really sad as I was a huge DC fan. Everything after MoS just drove me further away from this film universe.

I'm at least glad Zack got the opportunity to finish this.

7/10.

 

[Arachnerd]

A better film, but pointless.

Not exactly the word I would use for a director who's been given a chance to complete his vision of the film especially after leaving the initial production due to a family tragedy, regardless of how you may feel about him as a director.

Find it odd you say this though because the last sentence in your post contradicts that first phrase?

 

[Primal Slayer]

Im watching it...its a definite upgrade from the 2hr frankenstein JL that we got.

I think I'm halfway through? Currently on Chapter 3? It certainly isnt boring me as much as BvS did so thats already a plus. I can definitely see where they could be plenty of cuts. A LOT OF slow motion and a lot of music.

Our reintroduction to Diana was fun but there was no reason for her to blow up the guy and cause all that damage when she is fast enough to just kick him out a window or knock him out.

If Steppenwolf has trouble locating the Atlantean mother box, how was he able to so easily locate the Themiscryan mother box? They are located on a magical island that didnt even exist until after the great war.

Barry was very annoying in his introduction scene and him taking the time to admire Iris's beauty as she is being flub from a car wasnt cute. We couldve started him off in the beginnings of his career, not having to apply for dog jobs. Taking the Iris bit out of my mind, the hotdog scene would be a lot funnier.

Victors origin story is decent, probably could've (shouldve) been an entire movie within itself. Not really sure how his mom can be called in for Vic changing someones grades and then it being acceptable because the school isnt doing anything to help with the person getting bad grades.

 

[Steyin]

Not exactly the word I would use for a director who's been given a chance to complete his vision of the film especially after leaving the initial production due to a family tragedy, regardless of how you may feel about him as a director.

Find it odd you say this though because the last sentence in your post contradicts that first phrase?

It's pointless in the sense that it has no bearing on any future DCU project.

 

[heatvision38]

Im watching it...its a definite upgrade from the 2hr frankenstein JL that we got.

I think I'm halfway through? Currently on Chapter 3? It certainly isnt boring me as much as BvS did so thats already a plus. I can definitely see where they could be plenty of cuts. A LOT OF slow motion and a lot of music.

Our reintroduction to Diana was fun but there was no reason for her to blow up the guy and cause all that damage when she is fast enough to just kick him out a window or knock him out.

If Steppenwolf has trouble locating the Atlantean mother box, how was he able to so easily locate the Themiscryan mother box? They are located on a magical island that didnt even exist until after the great war.

Barry was very annoying in his introduction scene and him taking the time to admire Iris's beauty as she is being flub from a car wasnt cute. We couldve started him off in the beginnings of his career, not having to apply for dog jobs. Taking the Iris bit out of my mind, the hotdog scene would be a lot funnier.

Victors origin story is decent, probably could've (shouldve) been an entire movie within itself. Not really sure how his mom can be called in for Vic changing someones grades and then it being acceptable because the school isnt doing anything to help with the person getting bad grades.

The Amazon motherbox was the first to fully awaken after the Superman death scream. The other 2 were still asleep. It awoke because it now knew Superman was dead and that the planet lost its prime defender

 

[Primal Slayer]

The Amazon motherbox was the first to fully awaken after the Superman death scream. The other 2 were still asleep. It awoke because it now knew Superman was dead and that the planet lost its prime defender

I guess but that doesnt make sense to me. Superman has only been Earths defender for like 2 years, what stopped it from crying out for these past thousand years?

 

[Arachnerd]

It's pointless in the sense that it has no bearing on any future DCU project.

Well yeah, but we all knew that would be the case since it was announced.

 

[heatvision38]

I guess but that doesnt make sense to me. Superman has only been Earths defender for like 2 years, what stopped it from crying out for these past thousand years?

They were asleep. It wasn't until Silas experimented on one of the boxes (using some of what he learned from the Kryptonian scout ship) and used it on Victor that one of them started to wake up. However, being an advanced sentient computer, it scanned to see if this world could be taken and saw there was a Kryptonian protecting the planet and so it noped its way back to sleep, that is until Superman died.

These clues (much needed) were peppered throughout the film in pinches.

 

[dhandler01]

Yeah the boxes were dormant. Superman's cry woke the box up.

 

[CowCommando]

They were asleep. It wasn't until Silas experimented on one of the boxes (using some of what he learned from the Kryptonian scout ship) and used it on Victor that one of them started to wake up. However, being an advanced sentient computer, it scanned to see if this world could be taken and saw there was a Kryptonian protecting the planet and so it noped its way back to sleep, that is until Superman died.

These clues (much needed) were peppered throughout the film in pinches.

Poor Wonder Woman, she's been out there since 1918 and no one even knows she exists, even the motherbox doesn't acknowledge her, she just doesn't matter at all

 

[Primal Slayer]

Poor Wonder Woman, she's been out there since 1918 and no one even knows she exists, even the motherbox doesn't acknowledge her, she just doesn't matter at all

 

[dhandler01]

Poor Wonder Woman, she's been out there since 1918 and no one even knows she exists, even the motherbox doesn't acknowledge her, she just doesn't matter at all

Well no offense to Wonder Woman but she couldnt do to Steppy what Supes did. We just had a 4 hour movie prove that

 

[Primal Slayer]

Well no offense to Wonder Woman but she couldnt do to Steppy what Supes did. We just had a 4 hour movie prove that

Which is a bit stupid imo. If the Old Gods could take on Darkseid and almost kill him, Diana should be able to take on a minion of Darkseids just as well. But thats jsut Snyders hard-on for making Superman powerful enough to move an Earth which is boring to me.